Kempeitai East District Branch
Encyclopedia
The Kempeitai East District Branch was the headquarters of the Japanese military police force, the much feared Kempeitai
during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
. It was located at the old YMCA building, at the present site of Singapore's YMCA
on Stamford Road
. Opened in 1911, the distinctive Art Deco
YMCA building was the site of interrogation and torture of many innocent civilians, including war heroine Elizabeth Choy
(OBE). After the war, the Singapore government
erected several memorials with some at the former massacre sites. In 1995, the former site of old YMCA building was gazetted by the National Heritage Board
as one of the eleven World War II
sites of Singapore.
Council of State. Its brief covered military discipline, law and order, intelligence and subversion, as well as policing thoughts in the civilian population.
Their political influence increased when General Hideki Tojo
became the Vice-Minister of War in the 1930s. From 1895 to 1945, the Kempeitai built up a large network of influence in the Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, that is the Occupied Territories of Japan
in Asia. All POWs and POW camps came under the Kempeitai as did 'comfort women
' and comfort houses.
Kempeitai officers were trained at special training schools with the main ones being in Tokyo
and Keijo (now Seoul
) in Korea
. Kempei were trained to conduct espionage, weaponry, code-breaking
, running spy networks and other subversive activities during a year long course.
Kempei could be in the usual Japanese Army
uniform distinguished by the armband with the Japanese characters, 憲兵隊 (for Kempeitai) on it, or be in their khaki
uniform with an armband or in plain clothes. While officers carried a samurai sword and a pistol, non-commissioned officer
s often went about armed with a bamboo
stick which was split at the ends to make it pliable and increase the pain in a blow from it.
gangsters, prostitutes and those of other races with criminal records who were obliged to provide information to save themselves from torture or execution. As a result, many innocent people were taken away mysteriously and an atmosphere of distrust and fear ruled life during the Occupation.
The Kempeitai jail was in Outram with branches in Stamford Road, Chinatown
, the Central Police Station. A former residence at Smith Street
in Chinatown formed the Kempeitai West District Branch.
The YMCA also served as a prison for people suspected of being anti-Japanese. Typically, prisoners were cramped into small cells and forced to be motionless and absolutely silent. Those arrested would be tortured for names of anti-Japanese accomplices; refusal to offer such names led to further punishment. Should a prisoner surrender under the torment, any person identified by him as a "subversive force" would be sentenced to death or imprisonment.
After the "treatment" was meted out, those who had 'confessed' to minor crimes were sentenced to terms in prison. Others were quickly executed. After the British surrender on 15 February 1942, heads of looters were displayed on stakes outside the Kempeitai Headquarters and Cathay Building which was used by the Japanese Military Propagation Department then, as a deterrent to looting and gruesome reminder of its power. Rudy Mosbergen, aged 78, a former principal of Raffles Institution
wrote a book, In The Grip of A Crisis (2007), which tells what it was like being a teenager, was just 12 during the Occupation when he witnessed such a scene at Cathay Building:
During the early days of the Occupation, an extensive clean-up operations to purge anti-Japanese elements such as the Dalforce
, Force 136
and supporters of the China Relief Fund, named Sook Ching was undertaken. The massacres were executed under the supervision of the Kempeitai with the Hojo Kempei ("auxiliary military police") being employed to carry out the actual shooting under orders of a Kempeitai officer. Although the exact figures will never be fully known, it was estimated that a total figure between 25,000 and 50,000 victims were massacred according to the post-war trial testimonies in 1947.
Colonel
Masanobu Tsuji was fingered by Japanese army commanders as the man responsible for Sook Ching during the Singapore Chinese Massacre Trial in 1947. Tsuji was appointed as the Chief Planning and Operations Officer of the 25th Army that was led by Lieutenant General
Tomoyuki Yamashita
's for the Malaya
campaign. He had close links with the Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo
and enjoyed certain privileges that officers of more senior ranks were not allowed.
Overstepping his authority, he had issued orders during the massacre of thousands of Chinese
civilians in Singapore and Malaya with Yamashita's knowledge but without his approval. He was also responsible for the slaughter of thousands more US
and Filipino
servicemen in the Philippines
. Tsuji was in Myanmar
at the time of Japan's unconditional surrender to British forces in August 1946 and made his getaway to Thailand
disguised as a wandering Buddhist monk. He later spent a short spell in China during its Civil War
. He was hotly pursued by the British but they were unable to get him, as he was sheltered by the Americans
for political reasons when he resurfaced in Japan
in 1947. He was cleared of any war crimes in 1950 and later became one of his country's most prominent post-war parliamentarians
. In 1961, Tsuji disappeared mysteriously somewhere in Indochina
and was officially declared dead in 1968.
Kawamura and Oishi received the death sentence while the rest were given life sentences but served just 5 years till 1952 when Japan became sovereign again.
, Singapore's war heroine, was very grateful. Choy was detained and tortured at YMCA for nearly 200 days for her crime of "being pro-British and anti-Japanese" during the Double Tenth Incident
inquisition. She said:
Her tormentor, Warrant Officer
Monai Tadamori of the Kempeitai, was sentenced to death by a military court after the war.
and its lessons learnt for future generations, the Singapore government erected several memorials with some at the former massacre sites:
, the Civilian War Memorial
is located in the War Memorial Park at Beach Road
. Comprises 4 white concrete columns, this 61 metres tall memorial to the civilian dead commemorates the civilian dead of all races. It was built after thousands of remains were discovered all over Singapore during the urban redevelopment boom in the early 1960s. The memorial was officially unveiled by former Prime Minister
, Lee Kuan Yew
on the 25th anniversary of the start of the Japanese Occupation in 1967. It was constructed with part of the S$50 million 'blood debt' compensation paid by the Japanese Government in October 1966. Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Lee Kuan Yew said:
On 15 February each year, memorial services (opened to the public) are held at the memorial.
(near Camp Site 2) in the eastern part of Singapore. The inscription on the monument reads:
Kempeitai
The was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945. It was not an English-style military police, but a French-style gendarmerie...
during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
. It was located at the old YMCA building, at the present site of Singapore's YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
on Stamford Road
Stamford Road
Stamford Road is a one-way road in Singapore within the planning areas of Downtown Core and Museum. The road continues after the traffic light junction of Nicoll Highway, Esplanade Drive and Raffles Avenue towards Orchard Road. It then ends at the junction of Fort Canning Road, Bencoolen Street...
. Opened in 1911, the distinctive Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
YMCA building was the site of interrogation and torture of many innocent civilians, including war heroine Elizabeth Choy
Elizabeth Choy
Elizabeth Choy-Yong Su-Moi OBE was a Singaporean war heroine, educator and councillor. Along with her husband, Choy Khun Heng, she supplied medicine, money and messages to British civilians interned in Changi Prison during the Second World War....
(OBE). After the war, the Singapore government
Government of Singapore
The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...
erected several memorials with some at the former massacre sites. In 1995, the former site of old YMCA building was gazetted by the National Heritage Board
National Heritage Board (Singapore)
The National Heritage Board is a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts ....
as one of the eleven World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
sites of Singapore.
History of Kempeitai
The Kempeitai was formed as a semi-autonomous unit on 4 January 1881 by order of the MeijiMeiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
Council of State. Its brief covered military discipline, law and order, intelligence and subversion, as well as policing thoughts in the civilian population.
Their political influence increased when General Hideki Tojo
Hideki Tōjō
Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944...
became the Vice-Minister of War in the 1930s. From 1895 to 1945, the Kempeitai built up a large network of influence in the Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, that is the Occupied Territories of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
in Asia. All POWs and POW camps came under the Kempeitai as did 'comfort women
Comfort Woman
Comfort Woman is the fifth solo album by Me'shell Ndegeocello. It was released October 14, 2003 on Maverick Records. The album peaked at #150 on the Billboard Top 200 list that year. The album also peaked at #43 on Billboard's R&B Album chart. The LP was the final record released by Maverick,...
' and comfort houses.
Training
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Keijo (now Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
) in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. Kempei were trained to conduct espionage, weaponry, code-breaking
Cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis is the study of methods for obtaining the meaning of encrypted information, without access to the secret information that is normally required to do so. Typically, this involves knowing how the system works and finding a secret key...
, running spy networks and other subversive activities during a year long course.
Kempei could be in the usual Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
uniform distinguished by the armband with the Japanese characters, 憲兵隊 (for Kempeitai) on it, or be in their khaki
Khaki
This article is about the fabric. For the color, see Khaki . Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".Khaki is a type of fabric or the color of such fabric...
uniform with an armband or in plain clothes. While officers carried a samurai sword and a pistol, non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s often went about armed with a bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
stick which was split at the ends to make it pliable and increase the pain in a blow from it.
Informers and spies
The Kempeitai made use of informers and recruited spies from within the community, and encouraged the giving of information with rewards and privileges in return. Many of these informers had dubious background — secret societySecret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
gangsters, prostitutes and those of other races with criminal records who were obliged to provide information to save themselves from torture or execution. As a result, many innocent people were taken away mysteriously and an atmosphere of distrust and fear ruled life during the Occupation.
Old YMCA building
In Syonan (as Singapore was called during the Occupation), the Kempeitai came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War in Tokyo. It was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Oishi Masayuki with his headquarters at the old YMCA, which also served as the East District Branch. There were about 200 regular Kempeitai in Singapore but 1,000 auxiliaries were recruited from the army.The Kempeitai jail was in Outram with branches in Stamford Road, Chinatown
Chinatown, Singapore
Singapore's Chinatown is an ethnic neighbourhood featuring distinctly Chinese cultural elements and a historically concentrated ethnic Chinese population. Chinatown is located within the larger district of Outram....
, the Central Police Station. A former residence at Smith Street
Smith Street, Singapore
Smith Street is a small street running through the heart of the Chinatown district in Singapore. The only road in the area to be named after an European, it commemorates the hugely popular Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, then Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner in 1887 to 1893, who...
in Chinatown formed the Kempeitai West District Branch.
The YMCA also served as a prison for people suspected of being anti-Japanese. Typically, prisoners were cramped into small cells and forced to be motionless and absolutely silent. Those arrested would be tortured for names of anti-Japanese accomplices; refusal to offer such names led to further punishment. Should a prisoner surrender under the torment, any person identified by him as a "subversive force" would be sentenced to death or imprisonment.
Interrogation methods
The Kempeitai believed a person suspected of committing a crime had to prove his innocence, but was given no opportunity to do so. Pain and threats to life were standard methods of interrogation used by Kempeitai to obtain a ‘confession’. Called "treatments" by the Kempeitai, some that were described by victims and witnesses during the Singapore Chinese Massacre Trial in 1947 were:- Water torture: The victim would be tied down and laid flat on the ground. Water would be forced into his mouth and nose until the victim’s stomach becomes distended. Water would be forced out by jumping on victim’s stomach until he lost consciousness. He is revived and the process repeated again.
- Corporal beatings: This involved metal bars, sticks, bambooBambooBamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, wet knotted ropes, belts with buckles or revolver butts. - Burning and electric shocks: 'Live' electric wires, candles, lighted cigarettes, boiling oil or water were applied to sensitive parts of the victim’s body.
- Breaking fingers: Sticks were placed between the victim’s fingers and squeezed, fracturing the bones.
- Tearing out fingernails and toenails: Toothpicks were inserted under the nails before they were torn out by pliers.
- Eardrum piercing: The sharp ends of pencils were inserted into the victim’s ears until they pierced the victim’s eardrums.
- Body suspension: The victim’s body was suspended by the wrists or neck or hung upside down by the legs. Interrogators would then pull the victim’s limbs from their sockets.
After the "treatment" was meted out, those who had 'confessed' to minor crimes were sentenced to terms in prison. Others were quickly executed. After the British surrender on 15 February 1942, heads of looters were displayed on stakes outside the Kempeitai Headquarters and Cathay Building which was used by the Japanese Military Propagation Department then, as a deterrent to looting and gruesome reminder of its power. Rudy Mosbergen, aged 78, a former principal of Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...
wrote a book, In The Grip of A Crisis (2007), which tells what it was like being a teenager, was just 12 during the Occupation when he witnessed such a scene at Cathay Building:
Sook Ching
Dalforce
Dalforce, or the Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army was an irregular forces/guerrilla unit within the British Straits Settlements Volunteer Force during World War II. Its members were recruited among the ethnic Chinese people of Singapore...
, Force 136
Force 136
Force 136 was the general cover name for a branch of the British World War II organization, the Special Operations Executive . The organisation was established to encourage and supply resistance movements in enemy-occupied territory, and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations...
and supporters of the China Relief Fund, named Sook Ching was undertaken. The massacres were executed under the supervision of the Kempeitai with the Hojo Kempei ("auxiliary military police") being employed to carry out the actual shooting under orders of a Kempeitai officer. Although the exact figures will never be fully known, it was estimated that a total figure between 25,000 and 50,000 victims were massacred according to the post-war trial testimonies in 1947.
Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Masanobu Tsuji was fingered by Japanese army commanders as the man responsible for Sook Ching during the Singapore Chinese Massacre Trial in 1947. Tsuji was appointed as the Chief Planning and Operations Officer of the 25th Army that was led by Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Tomoyuki Yamashita
Tomoyuki Yamashita
General was a general of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. He was most famous for conquering the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, earning the nickname "The Tiger of Malaya".- Biography :...
's for the Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
campaign. He had close links with the Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and enjoyed certain privileges that officers of more senior ranks were not allowed.
Overstepping his authority, he had issued orders during the massacre of thousands of Chinese
Chinese in Singapore
Chinese Singaporeans are people of Chinese ethnicity who hold Singaporean nationality. As of 2010, Chinese Singaporeans constitute 74.1% of Singapore's resident population, or approximately three out of four Singaporeans, making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore...
civilians in Singapore and Malaya with Yamashita's knowledge but without his approval. He was also responsible for the slaughter of thousands more US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
servicemen in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Tsuji was in Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
at the time of Japan's unconditional surrender to British forces in August 1946 and made his getaway to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
disguised as a wandering Buddhist monk. He later spent a short spell in China during its Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
. He was hotly pursued by the British but they were unable to get him, as he was sheltered by the Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for political reasons when he resurfaced in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1947. He was cleared of any war crimes in 1950 and later became one of his country's most prominent post-war parliamentarians
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
. In 1961, Tsuji disappeared mysteriously somewhere in Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
and was officially declared dead in 1968.
Aftermath
After the war, only seven men were charged for their alleged role in Sook Ching in 1947:- Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Oishi Masayuki, commander of 2nd Field Kempeitai. - Lieutenant Colonel Nishimura Takuma, commander of the Imperial Guards Division.
- Lieutenant General Kawamura Saburo, commander of Syonan Defence Garrison.
- Lieutenant Colonel Yokota Yoshitaka.
- MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Jyo Tomotatsu. - Major Onishi Satoru.
- Captain Hisamatsu Haruji.
Kawamura and Oishi received the death sentence while the rest were given life sentences but served just 5 years till 1952 when Japan became sovereign again.
Demolition
Plans to rebuild the YMCA premises began in 1969 and the new YMCA building was officially opened on 24 November 1984. The old YMCA building has since been demolished in 1981 for which Elizabeth ChoyElizabeth Choy
Elizabeth Choy-Yong Su-Moi OBE was a Singaporean war heroine, educator and councillor. Along with her husband, Choy Khun Heng, she supplied medicine, money and messages to British civilians interned in Changi Prison during the Second World War....
, Singapore's war heroine, was very grateful. Choy was detained and tortured at YMCA for nearly 200 days for her crime of "being pro-British and anti-Japanese" during the Double Tenth Incident
Double Tenth Incident
The "Double Tenth Incident" or "Double Tenth Massacre" occurred on 10 October 1943, during the Second World War Japanese occupation of Singapore...
inquisition. She said:
Her tormentor, Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
Monai Tadamori of the Kempeitai, was sentenced to death by a military court after the war.
Memorials
To keep alive the memory of the Japanese Occupation of SingaporeJapanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
and its lessons learnt for future generations, the Singapore government erected several memorials with some at the former massacre sites:
Civilian War Memorial
Spearheaded and managed by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and IndustrySingapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a business chamber in Singapore.-History:Established in 1906 as the General Chinese Trade Affairs Association, the SCCCI's original purpose was to look after the interests of the Chinese business community, but it has expanded its scope...
, the Civilian War Memorial
Civilian War Memorial
The Memorial to the Civilian Victims of the Japanese Occupation, usually called the Civilian War Memorial is one of Singapore's most famous iconic landmarks of heritage....
is located in the War Memorial Park at Beach Road
Beach Road
Beach Road is a road located within the Kallang Planning Area and Downtown Core in Singapore.The road starts at its junction with Crawford Street in Kallang Planning Area in the north, runs in a generally southerly direction, enters the Downtown Core at its junction with Ophir Road, and ends at...
. Comprises 4 white concrete columns, this 61 metres tall memorial to the civilian dead commemorates the civilian dead of all races. It was built after thousands of remains were discovered all over Singapore during the urban redevelopment boom in the early 1960s. The memorial was officially unveiled by former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
, Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
on the 25th anniversary of the start of the Japanese Occupation in 1967. It was constructed with part of the S$50 million 'blood debt' compensation paid by the Japanese Government in October 1966. Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Lee Kuan Yew said:
On 15 February each year, memorial services (opened to the public) are held at the memorial.
Sook Ching Centre Monument
The site of this monument lies within the compound of Hong Lim Complex in Chinatown. The inscription on the monument reads:Changi Beach Massacre Monument
The site of this monument is located in Changi Beach ParkChangi Beach Park
The Changi Beach Park is a beach park located at the northeastern tip of Singapore.The 28-hectare Changi Beach Park is one of the oldest coastal parks in Singapore, retaining the "kampung" or village atmosphere of the 60's and 70's...
(near Camp Site 2) in the eastern part of Singapore. The inscription on the monument reads:
Punggol Beach Massacre Monument
The site of this monument is located off Punggol Road in northeastern Singapore. The inscription on the monument reads:See also
- Double Tenth IncidentDouble Tenth IncidentThe "Double Tenth Incident" or "Double Tenth Massacre" occurred on 10 October 1943, during the Second World War Japanese occupation of Singapore...
- Selarang Barracks IncidentSelarang Barracks IncidentThe Selarang Barracks Incident also known as the Barrack Square Incident or the Selarang Square Squeeze, was an event during the Second World War started on 30 August 1942. The barracks was sited in Changi, Singapore and were used by the Japanese to hold 17,000 Anglo-Australian prisoners-of-war...
- Shinozaki MamoruShinozaki Mamoru, a former Japanese diplomat was convicted and jailed by the British for spying for Japan before the Second World War. He was later credited as the "Japanese Schindler" for saving thousands of Chinese and Eurasians by his liberal issue of personal safety passes and the creation of safe havens...
- Japanese Cemetery ParkJapanese Cemetery ParkThe Japanese Cemetery Park is a cemetery and park in Hougang, Singapore. It is the largest Japanese cemetery in South East Asia at 29,359 square metres, consisting of 910 tombstones that contain the remains of members of the Japanese community in Singapore, including young Japanese prostitutes,...